The royal commission sparked anger at the big banks. Bitcoin’s not the only alternative.
In the wake of the banking royal commission, many people are fed up with the big institutions, and are hunting for alternatives. But the growing number of options — everything from stashing your money under the mattress to investing in cryptocurrency or switching to a credit union — can be pretty overwhelming. And if you’re thinking of completely ghosting your bank, it might not really be feasible — yet. “In Australia our entire payment system is mediated through the major banks … essentially you have to go through a bank to pay for anything,” says Brendan Markey-Towler, an economist and researcher with RMIT’s Blockchain Innovation Hub. But, he adds: “Watch […]
Has Bitcoin entered a new normal?
Bitcoin has been experiencing low volatility recently, which could fuel greater adoption by enabling the cryptocurrency’s use as a medium of exchange. As for whether this will actually materialize, analysts have offered mixed views. Nigel Green, founder and CEO of independent financial consultancy deVere Group, forecasted that bitcoin’s modest price fluctuations will probably prompt greater use of the digital currency. While the digital currency’s price fluctuations have been “relatively modest” as of late, “volatility will return again,” he predicted. “However, there is a growing sense that crypto sector will have less extreme swings moving forward,” emphasized Green. “This is likely to further drive mass adoption.” To read more, please click on the link below… […]
What will new tech mean for crypto in 2019?
Ten years on from the emergence of Bitcoin, there is no doubt that crypto and blockchain technology have made a massive impact. However, many forward-thinking observers still believe that digital tokens and the processes behind them have a long way to go. New systems and ways of doing things are emerging all the time, and this year, there are plenty of developments on the cusp of debuting online. A greater public awareness and more widespread adoption is on the cards, with the world of established financial institutions continuing to make moves and government-level discussions about the future of crypto also taking place. With many insiders predicting a wide range of […]
Fintech trends and predictions for 2019
Fintechs are big, growing and are disruptive. Why wouldn’t they be when they are using innovative technologies making banking and financial services more efficient. So what are the predictors and futurists saying the landscape will look like in 2019 and beyond? Here’s a collection of some of the sources we think are on point! Bitcoin is Just the Beginning The Australian predicts that Bitcoin is Just the Beginning and that the “fintech” revolution is upon us – but we may only be at the start of it. Highlights include: “Financial technology is not only changing the way people purchase and invest, it’s changing the very definition of money as well.” […]
Long-dormant Bitcoin whales resuming activity could rock price action, analysts say
The number of active Bitcoin (BTC) wallets, many of which have long been dormant, has seen an uptick that could herald some major market movements, Bloomberg reports Jan. 11. Bloomberg bases its report on data and analysis from crypto analytics startup Flipside Crypto, which sealed the backing of major crypto exchange Coinbase and veteran crypto venture capital firm Digital Currency Group (DCG) back in November. According to Flipside, as of Oct. 2018, a high number of long-inactive Bitcoin holders — defined as those that haven’t transferred their Bitcoin for between six and thirty months — have begun to transfer their coins, resulting in wallets active over the past month now […]
Ten years of bitcoin is about more than boom, bubble and bust
This weekend will mark the 10th anniversary of the very first transaction involving bitcoin. A decade later the future of bitcoins and the host of the so-called cryptocurrencies that it spawned is still uncertain. On 12 January 2009, someone who called themselves Satoshi Nakamoto sent 10 bitcoins to a US software engineer, Hal Finney (they may, some believe, have been one and the same). The coins were virtually worthless and it took more than two years before the first exchange of bitcoins for goods – 10,000 bitcoin for two pizzas worth about $US30 ($42) – occurred. For most of their history cryptocurrencies have been a curiosity, a peer-to-peer anti-establishment version […]
Where is the cryptocurrency industry headed in 2019?
To get a sense of just how troubling 2018 has been for the cryptocurrency industry, one need look no further than bitcoin (BTC). Heading into 2018, bitcoin traded for close to $13,500 after reaching an all-time high of $19,783.06 in December of 2017. At the time of writing, bitcoin is selling at $3,400, a loss of about three-quarters of its value — and other digital currencies aren’t faring much better. Ethereum, for example, fell from an early-year high of $1,300 to $91 as of Dec. 17, 2018. But cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum are hurting on more fronts than value alone. Investor interest in digital currencies has waned dramatically in […]
What are bitcoin forks and how do they work?
With the increased interest in bitcoin, it’s important to understand the technology behind this cryptocurrency and the factors that can influence its price. Discover everything you need to know about bitcoin forks, including the difference between soft and hard forks and what they mean for traders. Bitcoin forks explained The term ‘bitcoin fork’ can be used to describe two types of events. The first is a change to its underlying software – a ‘software fork’. The second is a divergence in the cryptocurrency’s blockchain – a ‘blockchain fork’. The reason each of these events is called a ‘fork’ is because they present two or more potential routes for bitcoin to […]
